ALERT NEWSLETTER – January 2026

Hi everyone & Happy New Year!

I hope you had a safe and happy holiday season, and that Santa was good to you and that Father Time will be kind to you also.

As we unwind from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, make sure to mark January 13 on your calendar, as that is our next ALERT meeting.

Some other important dates to remember in 2026 are:

The Blount County Freezefest 2026, Saturday January 3, from 8 to 12 Noon, at the Locust Fork High School, in Locust Fork.

For more information got to: https://w4blt.org/freezefest2026.htm

Winter Field Day will be held January 24 & 25.

For more information go to Home – WFDA (winterfieldday.org)

Winter Field Day and its spring counterpart, Field Day are one of the most valuable events that ham radio operators can participate in, for it helps give actual experience in portable operations from a remote site, or can be done in a simulated “grid down” situation, where hams erect their antennas and power their equipment as in an actual post-disaster scenario. Whether it’s a club or group, providing their own generator and food, or an individual setting up and using his own equipment using alternate power sources, this and Parks On The Air – POTA activations can provide valuable hands own experience and operating experience that someday could prove vital in during an actual emergency.

Oh, and did I mention that it’s a fun event? It is.

The Birmingham Hamfest is only a few weeks away, Friday and Saturday, March 6 & 7, at the Trussville Civic Center. There will be vendors, a flea market, forums, including one by ALERT and ARES, and Amateur Radio Examinations.

For more information go to: http://birminghamfest.org/

Hope you can attend!

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60 Meter Band Expansion

Amateurs holding a General Class or higher license have, since 2012, had access to the following five channels in the 60 Meter band, using CW, USB and Digital modes, with a 100 Watt Effective Radiated Power limit:
Channel 1: 5330.5 kHz
Channel 2: 5346.5 kHz
Channel 3: 5357.0 kHz
Channel 4: 5371.5 kHz
Channel 5: 5403.5 kHz

On December 9, 2025, the FCC released Report and Order 25-60 which amends Parts 2 and 97 of the Commission’s Rules to implement the decisions of the World Radiocommunication Conference held in Geneva in 2015 (WRC-15). R&O 25-50 addresses the amateur radio service in the 5351.5 – 5366.5 kHz 60 Meter band.

The FCC is expanding the 60 Meter band, adding a 15 kHz non-channelized segment from 5351 to 5366.5 kHz, with a 9.15 Watt Effective Radiated Power limit. This new segment aligns with similar allocations used in many Region 2 (European & African) countries, and improves interoperability, as well as giving more elbow room on the band.

The current four channels located outside this 15 kHz section will continue to exist, and continue with their current 100 Watt power levels.

Channel 3 – 5357.0 kHz, which has become the default 60 Meter digital frequency, will be absorbed into the new band, and those using Channel 3’s frequency will have to reduce their power levels from 100 Watts to 9.15 Watts.

This raises the question, will digital users stay on the old Channel 3 frequency, or migrate to the remaining four channels to take advantage of the higher power limits?

Also, for those who, like I, use older radios, such as Yaesu FT-450 & FT-817, it should be remembered that though they have 60 Meters built in as memory channels, older pre 2012 models have 5368 kHz as Channel 3, not the current Channel 3 frequency – 5357 kHz.

In March 2012, the FCC per the ARRL recommendation, changed Channel 3 from 5368 kHz to 5357 kHz citing it’s being “heavily used by one of the primary users.” The old Channel 3 frequency is and will continue to be “out of band” and should never be used.

The power limitations are due to the fact that 60 Meters is allocated on a secondary basis, and must not interfere with their primary users. The FCC notes that “the amateur community must protect Federal operations in this band….and we do not believe that the increased potential for harmful interference at this power limit has been fully considered at this time.”

An additional 15 kHz may not sound like much, but it is room for an additional 5 concurrent USB QSOs, in addition to those on the four remaining channels and many CW QSOs seeing, as evidenced in any CW contest, that CW signals can overlap each other and still be usable. Something voice signals cannot do.

These changes will go into effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register.

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Ham Radio Contests For 2026

Ham radio is a broad hobby with activities to suit a wide variety of tastes.

Some like long, sometimes very long contacts, or as some say “contacts of substance”. Delving deep into their lives, interests and symptoms, or as someone said recently “give an organ recital”.

Some have a preferred group they talk to day after day, week after week, year after year – those “put the radio on the frequency, solder the shaft and break off the knob” groups, which is fine.

Some like SKYWARN, National Traffic System Nets and nets in general, which certainly includes me.

Some prefer brief contacts, as some call “hit and run” or “signal report, 73 and gone” contacts. Which include DXers, POTA and Contesters.

DX and POTA contacts can be short, or the operators may take time to actually talk to you. Contesters, on the other hand, due to the nature of the event, make boom and zoom flash contacts.

I enjoy POTA and find it is valuable in that: 1. It’s fun, and has revitalized ham radio and 2. It can be thought of as a mini-Field Day. If one can set up an effective station in a state park or the middle of nowhere, which hundreds are doing, they can do the same in a disaster zone. And, they are trained and “practiced up” by doing this on a regular basis.

As for contests, though my station is a chihuahua among the big dogs, I enjoy giving them a try. During contests will find stations that you may never hear otherwise, especially rare DX stations just sitting there wanting to talk to you and there are so many that they are there just grapes for the picking.

Besides being fun and stoking my ego, since you always will get a perfect signal report in a contest, whether they can barely hear you or not, they help me evaluate my station’s effectiveness by having dozens of contacts to compare, as opposed to a single occasional contact. I get a better idea of the antenna pattern, signal reach, and my operating prowess or lack thereof.

Plus, like POTA, they are fun.

So, why not give your contest muscles a try?

The following list is by no means a complete list. For an in-depth list of the various contests, go to the WA7BNM Contest Calendar WA7BNM Contest Calendar: Home and Contest Calendar (arrl.org)

Some of the contests I have listed are marked as “tentative” as the 2026 dates had not been updated on the contests websites I browsed when I wrote this article. Also, some dates which were confirmed looked a little funky.

Note that the dates are for the beginning of the contest, not the duration and that they are UTC based. A contest listed as beginning at 00:00 UTC Saturday will begin at 6:00 PM CST Friday by our time. Check the above websites for times, dates, and contests exchanges, which vary with each contest. Some are simple, such as the standard fake signal report and location and others want so much goop that it might as well be a novel.

Here are a few hints concerning ham contests.

1. Contest stations will often appear on the bands days before the event, working stations as they set up, test and troubleshoot their equipment. You may find some interesting DX contacts even though you have no interest in contesting.
2. With CW contests the guys you hear rattling off at 85 WPM are using computers for transmit and receive. If you listen and listen and listen you will figure out their callsign. Give them a call! They will usually slow down to your speed and if not the signal report will usually be “599” anyway and maybe a number, which may be their CQ Zone, ITU Zone, or QSO number. Each contest has a certain exchange. You can either go to the WA7BNM website given above or figure it out by listening to a few exchanges.
3. When there is a heaping helping of humanity dashing and dotting or talking over each other in an unrecognizable mess, try moving up the band and you will usually find stations who have moved there to escape from the melee looking for contacts. And with CW contests often they are sending at more manageable speed
4. Just because a station has a weak signal, don’t assume they won’t hear you.
5. Just because a station is blasting the band, don’t assume they will hear you.
6. If you call a station and they, as someone put it, “just start “’CQing right in your face’” as you are sending or transmitting, don’t take it personally. At the moment they are not hearing you, but if you keep on trying the conditions may change in your favor. Or they may work you to get rid of you. Either way, you nabbed them.
7. Sometimes if you transmit a little higher in frequency than in pileup or a little slower you will stand out from the crowd.
8. If you loath contests, remember the 60, 30, 17 and 12 Meter bands are always contest free, and if a band is “eaten up” by a CW contest, for instance, the phone section is usually contest free and vice versa.

The following is a list of major contests in 2026 and the State and Province QSO parties. The QSO parties are useful for snagging those pesky states you need for working all states or provinces.

Mark’s 2026 Contest Calendar

January 1 Straight Key Night
January 3 ARRL Kids Day
January 10 North American QSO Party – CW
January 17 North American QSO Party – SSB
ARRL VHF Contest
Hungarian DX
POTA Support Your Parks
January 23 CQ 160 Meter – CW
January 24 Winter Field Day
January 25 Australia Day
January 31 UBA DX Contest – SSB – Belgium

February 1 North American Sideband Sprint
February 7 10-10 International – Winter – USB
European Union DX Contest
British Columbia QSO Party
Minnesota QSO Party
Vermont QSO Party
February 8 North American Sprint – CW
February 9 ARRL School Roundup
February 14 Asia-Pacific Sprint – CW
Dutch PACC Contest
February 21 ARRL International DX – CW
South Carolina QSO Party
February 22 World Wide Argentine DX Contest
February 27 CQ 160 Meter Contest – LSB
February 28 UBA DX Contest – CW – Belgium

March 1 Nova Scotia NSARA QSO Party
North Carolina QSO Party
March 7 ARRL International DX – SSB
March 14 Commonwealth Contest RSGB
South American 10 Meter Contest
Idaho QSO Party
Stew Perry Top Band – CW
` Oklahoma QSO Party
March 15 Wisconsin QSO Party
March 21 Virgina QSO Party
Russian DX Contest
March 27 Sasquatch Stomp – CW see: Sasquatch Stomp
March 28 CQ Worldwide WPX Contest – SSB
Africa All Mode International DX Contest

April 4 Louisiana QSO Party
April 11 Georgia QSO Party
New Mexico
JIDX Contest – Japan – CW

April 18 POTA Support Your Parks
Worked All Provinces of China DX Contest
Michigan QSO Party
Ontario QSO Party
Worldwide Holyland Contest
April 19 Quebec QSO Party
April 25 Florida OSO Party
Helvetia Contest
UK/EI DX Contest – CW

May 2 10-10 International – Spring – CW
7th Call Area QSO Party
New England QSO Party
Indiana QSO Party
Delaware QSO Party
ARI International – Italy
May 9 Canadian Prairies QSO Party – Probable
CQ-M International DX – Russia
50 MHz Sprint – Probable
May 16 Arkansas QSO Party
His Majesty King Of Spain – CW
May 30 CQ WW WPX – CW
May 31 Russian WW Multimode

June 6 Atlantic Canada QSO Party
Kentucky QSO Party
VK Shires Contest
IARU Region 1 Field Day – CW
RSGB Field Day – CW
June 13 Asia-Pacific Sprint – SSB
ARRL June VHF Contest
Portugal Day
June 20 SMIRK Contest (6 Meters)
ALL Asia DX Contest – CW
ARRL Kids Day
West Virgina QSO Party
Stew Perry Top Band – CW
June 27 ARRL Field Day
His Majesty King Of Spain

July 1 RAC Canada Day (Wednesday)
July 4 Venezuelan Independence
CQ Worldwide VHF SSB/CW
July 11 IARU HF Worldwide SSB/CW
July 18 POTA Support Your Parks (Tentative)
July 25 Alabama QSO Party (Tentative)
RSGB IOTA Contest CW & SSB
MARAC County Hunters Contest (tentative)

August 1 10-10 International – Summer – USB
European Only HF Championship – SSB/CW
ARRL 222 & Up Contest
North American QSO Party – CW
August 2 SARL SSB
August 8 Maryland-DC QSO Party
Kentucky State Parks On The Air
WAE DX CW
50 MHz Fall Sprint (tentative)
August 15 North American QSO Party – SSB
Russian District Award (tentative)
CVA DX – Brazil CW
Keyman’s Of Japan
August 22 Hawaii OSO Party
Ohio QSO Party
ARSI VUDX Contest – India (tentative)
CVA DX – Brazil SSB
YO DX HF – SSB & CW
Turkey HF SSB (tentative)
August 23 SARL CW
August 29 W/VE Island QSO Party
Kansas QSO Party
ALARA Contest – Australia/New Zealand – SSB/CW

September 5 Colorado QSO Party
All Asia DX Contest – SSB
IARU Region 1 Field Day – SSB
Ohio State POTA (tentative)
September 6 Tennessee QSO Party
September 12 ARRL September VHF Contest
WAE DX SSB
September 13 North American Sprint – CW
September 19 Washington State Salmon Run
New Hampshire QSO Party
New Jersey QSO Party
Texas QSO Party
Iowa QSO Party
Wisconsin POTA
Scandinavia Activity – CW
September 21 144 MHz Fall Sprint (tentative)
September 26 Maine QSO Party
September 20 222 MHz Fall Sprint (tentative)

October 3 California QSO Party
Oceania DX – Phone
Worked All Provinces China DX – CW
TRC DX Contest
October 10 10-10 International 10-10 Sprint
432 MHz Fall Sprint ?????
Arizona QSO Party
South Dakota QSO Party
Nevada QSO Party
Oceania DX – CW
Pennsylvania QSO Party
Scandinavian Activity – SSB
SKCC Sprintathon – RST
October 17 10-10 International – CW
New York QSO Party
Worked All Germany
POTA Support Your Parks
Stew Perry Top Band – CW
October 18 Asia Pacific Sprint – CW
October 24 CQ Worldwide – SSB
902 MHz and up – tentative

November 1 North American SSB Sprint
UK/EI DX Contest SSB
November 7 ARRL Sweepstakes – CW
November 14 JIDX Contest – Japan – SSB
Ham Spirit Contest
November 21 South American Integration Contest – CW
ARRL Sweepstakes – SSB
LZ DX – CW – Bulgaria
November 22 North American Sideband Sprint
November 28 CQ Worldwide – CW

December 4 ARRL 160 Meter Contest – CW
Skywarn Appreciation Day
December 12 ARRL 10 Meter Contest
December 19 Croatian DX
December 20 RAC Winter Contest
ARRL Rookie Roundup
December 26 Stew Perry Top Band – CW

Weekly Contests

One weekly contest of note for slow speed CW operators is the CWops Weekly Contest. See: K1USN SST

Normal Date and Times:

Friday 2 – 3 PM CST or 20:00 – 21:00 UTC
Sunday 5 – 6 PM Sunday or 00:00 – 01:00 UTC which is Monday in UTC

Suggested operating frequencies:

160 meters 1.810 – 1.825 MHz
80 meters 3.528 – 3.545 MHz
40 meters 7.028 – 7.045 MHz
20 meters 14.028 – 14.045 MHz
15 meters 21.028 – 21.045 MHz
10 meters 28.028 – 28.045 MHz
Listen for “CQ SST” at 20 WPM or slower.

Recommended Exchange: Name & State

For a faster speed of 20 – 25 WPM try the ICWC Medium Speed Test. See: MST Contest – International CW Council

Normal Date and Times:

Monday 7- 8 AM CST or 13:00 – 14:00 UTC and 1 – 2 PM CST or 19:00 – 20:00 UTC
Tuesday 9 – 10 AM CST or 03:00 – 04:00 UTC

Suggested operating frequencies:

160 meters 1.812 – 1.828 MHz
80 meters 3.528 – 3.550 MHz
40 meters 7.015 – 7.029 MHz in IARU region 3 (South & East Asia, Pacific)
7.025 – 7.040 MHz in IARU region 1 (Europe, Africa, Middle East, North Asia)
7.028 – 7.050 MHz in IARU region 2 (The Americas)
20 meters 14.028 – 14.050 MHz
15 meters 21.028 – 21.050 MHz
10 meters 28.028 – 28.050 MHz

Listen for “CQ MST” at 20 – 25 WPM.

Recommended exchange: RST & QSO Serial number.

For even faster speeds there are the CWops Speed Tests or CWT which range from 32 to over 40 WPM, which is out of my league. For more information see: CWops Tests (CWT) – CWops

Normal Dates and Times:

Wednesday 7 – 8 AM CST or 13:00 – 14:00 UTC and 1 – 2 PM CST or 19:00 – 20:00 UTC
Thursday 9 – 10 PM CST or 03:00 – 04:00 UTC and 1 – 2 AM CST or 07:00 – 08:00 UTC.

Suggested Frequencies are 28 – 45 kHz from the lower band edge of 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 & 10 Meters.

Listen for “CQ CWT” at 32 WPM and above.

Recommended exchange: Name and CWops member number. Non-members will send their name, and state.

State & Province QSO Parties

Alabama Alabama QSO Party July 25 2026 (tentative)
Alaska (None – just pray a lot) X
Alberta Canadian Prairies QSO Party May 9 2026
Arizona 7th Call Area QSO Party May 2, 2026
Arizona QSO Party Oct 10, 2026
Arkansas Arkansas QSO Party May 16, 2026
British Columbia British Columbia QSO Party Feb 7 2026
California California QSO Party Oct 3, 2026
Colorado Colorado QSO Party Sep 5, 2026
Connecticut New England QSO Party May 2, 2026
Delaware Delaware QSO Party May 2, 2026
Florida Florida QSO Party Apr 25 2026
Georgia Georgia QSO Party Apr 11 2026
Hawaii Hawaii QSO Party Aug 22, 2026
Idaho Idaho QSO Party Mar 14 2026
7th Call Area QSO Party May 2, 2026
Illinois Illinois QSO Party Oct 18, 2026
Indiana Indiana QSO Party May 2, 2026
Iowa Iowa QSO Party Sep 19, 2026
Kansas Kansas QSO Party Aug 29, 2026
Kentucky Kentucky QSO Party Jun 6, 2026
Louisiana Louisiana QSO Party Apr 4 2026
Maine New England QSO Party May 2, 2026
Maine QSO Party Sep 26, 2026
Manitoba Canadian Prairies QSO Party May 9 2026
Maryland Maryland-DC QSO Party Aug 8, 2026
Massachusetts New England QSO Party May 2, 2026
Michigan Michigan QSO Party Apr 18 2026
Minnesota Minnesota QSO Party Feb 7 2026
Mississippi Mississippi QSO Party Apr 4 2026
Missouri Missouri QSO Party Apr 4 2026
Montana 7th Call Area QSO Party May 2 2026
Nebraska Nebraska QSO Party Apr 25 2026 (tentative)
Nevada Nevada QSO Party Oct 10, 2026
7th Call Area QSO Party May 2, 2026
New Brunswick Atlantic Canada QSO Party June 6, 2026
New Hampshire New England QSO Party May 2, 2026
New Hampshire QSO Party Sep 19, 2026
New Jersey New Jersey QSO Party Sep 19, 2026
New Mexico New Mexico QSO Party Apr 11 2026
New York New York QSO Party Oct 17, 2026
Newfoundland Atlantic Canada QSO Party June 6, 2026
North Carolina North Carolina QSO Party Feb 22 2026
North Dakota North Dakota QSO Party Apr 11 2026
Nova Scotia NSARA Contest Mar 1 2026
Atlantic Canada QSO Party June 6, 2026
Ohio Ohio QSO Party Aug 22, 2026
Oklahoma Oklahoma QSO Party Mar 14 2026
Ontario Ontario QSO Party Apr 18 2026
Oregon 7th Call Area QSO Party May 2 2026
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania QSO Party Oct 10, 2026
Prince Edward Is Atlantic Canada QSO Party June 6, 2026
Quebec Quebec QSO Party Apr 19 2026
Rhode Island New England QSO Party May 2 2026
Saskatchewan Canadian Prairies QSO Party May 9 2026
South Carolina South Carolina QSO Party Feb 23 2026
South Dakota South Dakota QSO Party Oct 10, 2026
Tennessee Tennessee QSO Party Sep 6, 2026
Texas Texas QSO Party Sep 19, 2026
Utah 7th Call Area QSO Party May 2 2026
Vermont New England QSO Party May 2 2026
Vermont QSO Party Feb 7 2026
Virginia Virginia QSO Party Mar 21 2026
Washington Washington State Salmon Run Sep 19, 2026
7th Call Area QSO Party May 2 2026
West Virginia West Virginia QSO Party Jun 20, 2026
Wisconsin Wisconsin QSO Party Mar 15 2026
Wyoming 7th Call Area QSO Party May 2 2026

Give these a try! You never know what rarity will fire up on contest days and never to be heard anytime else!

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Mark’s Almanac

January is named for the Roman god Janus, the god of gates and doors, and so openings and beginnings.

January receives more sunlight than December, but the equilibrium between incoming solar heat and the heat radiated into space by the northern snowfields does not peak until late January and early February, six weeks after winter solstice. So, the weather continues to cool, with January 8 – 20 being the coldest part of the year.

Typically, in January there is a 53% chance of up to one inch of snow and a 25% chance of over one inch of snow.

The southern tip of Nova Scotia, all of Canada and roughly one half of the Continental US, or “CONUS”, are usually covered with snow. Canada’s Hudson’s Bay is frozen, as is the ocean water between Baffin Island and Greenland.

Current Snow Depth

Barometric pressure is highest in January.

Though the Atlantic Hurricane Season officially ended November 30, every now and then Mother Nature will give us a surprise as there have been 5 tropical storms and 3 Category 1 hurricanes from 1851 to 2025. This includes an unnamed hurricane in 1938 in the Eastern Atlantic & Hurricane Alex which in 2016 effected Bermuda and the Azores and a subtropical storm that briefly spun up on January 16, 2023

Birmingham January climatology per Intellicast is monthly rainfall 5.45” inches and snowfall 0.7”. Average high temperature is 53 degrees and the average low 32 degrees. Record high of 81 degrees occurred in 1941 and a record low of -6 degrees in 1985.
Barometric pressure is highest in January.

Days grow longer as the Sun’s angle above the noonday horizon steadily increases from 33.5 degrees at the beginning of the month to 39.2 degrees at the month’s end. Daylight increases from 9 hours 59 minutes on January 1 to 10 hours 34 minutes on January 31.

Sunrise and sunset times for Birmingham per the US Naval Observatory are:

January 1 Sunrise 6:52 AM Sunset 4:50 PM
January 15 Sunrise 6:51 AM Sunset 5:02 PM
January 31 Sunrise 6:44 AM Sunset 5:18 PM

Looking skyward, at the beginning of the month, the Sun, magnitude -26.8 is in Sagittarius, the Archer
Mercury, magnitude -1.4, in Sagittarius, The Archer, is lost in the glow of the Sun.

He will reach his farthest point from the Sun, or Aphelion, on January 6, and will pass behind the Sun, or be in Superior Conjunction on January 21.

Venus, magnitude –3.9, in Sagittarius, The Archer, is lost in the glow of the Sun.

She will pass behind the Sun, or be in Superior Conjunction January 6, and reach her farthest point from the Sun, or Aphelion, on January 22.

Earth and her Moon, magnitude -4.0, as viewed from the Sun, is in Gemini, The Twins.
Earth will reach her closest distance to the Sun, or Perihelion on January 3, at 11:16AM CST, when the planet will be 91,405,993 miles from the Sun.

Mars, with his moons Phobos and Deimos, magnitude +1.1, in Sagittarius, The Archer, is lost in the glow of the Sun.

He will pass behind the Sun or be in Solar Conjunction on January 9.

Dwarf Planet Ceres, magnitude +8.7, is in Cetus, The Sea Monster.

Jupiter, his 97 moons and (invisible from Earth) ring, magnitude -2.7, in Gemini, The Twins, is a late evening and early morning object.

At the beginning of the month, he will become accessible around 6:14 PM CST, when he reaches an altitude of 7° above the eastern horizon. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 12:34 AM CST, 78° above the southern horizon. He will be lost to dawn twilight around 6:32 AM CST, 12° above the western horizon.

Jupiter will be directly opposite the Sun, or be in Opposition on January 10.

By midmonth he becomes accessible around 5:18 PM CST, 10° above the eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will reach his highest point in the sky at 11:27 PM CST, 78° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 5:48 AM CST, when he sinks below 7° above the western horizon.

By the end of the month, he will become accessible around 5:32 PM CST, 27° above your eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 10:15 PM CST, 79° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 4:37 AM CST, when it sinks below 7° above the western horizon.

Saturn, his 274 moons and extensive debris ring system, magnitude +1.0, is in Aquarius, The Water Bearer, is an early evening object descending into twilight.

At the first of the month, he visible around 5:26 PM CST, 51° above the southern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting at 10:41 PM CST.

By midmonth he will become visible around 5:38 PM CST, 46° above the south-western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting at 9:51 PM CST.

At months end he becomes visible around 5:52 PM CST, 35° above the south-western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting 3 hours and 39 minutes after the Sun at 8:55 PM CST.

Uranus, his 29 moons and ring magnitude +5.7, in Taurus, The Bull, is an evening object.

He becomes accessible with binoculars around 5:53 PM CST, 50° above the eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will reach his highest point in the sky at 8:41 PM CST, 75° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 1:48 AM CST, when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

By midmonth he will become accessible around 6:04 PM CST, 63° above the south-eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will reach his highest point in the sky at 7:45 PM CST, 75° above your southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 12:52 AM CST, when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

At month’s end he becomes accessible around 6:17 PM CST, 74° above the southern-eastern horizon, as dusk fades into darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 6:41 PM CST, 75° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 11:48 PM CST, when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

Neptune, his 16 moons and ring, magnitude 7.8, in Pisces, The Fish, is an early evening object.

At the first of the month, he becomes accessible via binoculars and telescopes around 5:53 PM CST, 52° above the southern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting at 10:58 PM CST.

At midmonth he will become accessible around 6:04 PM CST, 45° above the south-western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting at 10:04 PM CST.

At the end of the month, he becomes accessible 6:17 PM CST, 32° above the south-western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. It will then sink towards the horizon, setting 3 hours and 47 minutes after the Sun at 9:03 PM CST.

Pluto, the largest Dwarf Planet, with his five moons shines at a dim 14.6 in Capricornus, The Sea Goat.

Dwarf Planet 136108 Haumea, her ring and moons Hiʻiaka and Namaka, shines at a faint magnitude of 17.3 in Bootes, The Herdsman.

Dwarf Planet 136472 Makemake with his moon S/2015 (136472) 1, nicknamed MK1 by the discovery team, shines faintly at magnitude +17.2 in Coma Berenices.

Dwarf Planet 136199 Eris, the second largest Dwarf Planet, and her moon Dysnomia, originally referred to as Xena and Gabrielle, is barely visible in the most powerful telescopes at magnitude +18.6 in Cetus the Sea Monster.

At least seven additional bodies with the preliminary criteria for identifying dwarf planets, and though not “officially” declared as such, are generally called dwarf planets by astronomers as well.

90482 Orcus, and his moon Vanth shines at magnitude 19.1 near Pegasus, The Winged Horse.

50000 Quaoar, his two rings and his moon Waywot shines at magnitude +18.6 in Orion, The Hunter.

90377 Sedna, the coldest, and at one time, the most distant known place in the Solar System, glows faintly at magnitude +20.8 in Taurus, The Bull.

25088 Gonggong, the third largest Dwarf Planet, originally nicknamed Snow White by the discovery team, and his moon Xiangli glows dimly at +21.5 magnitude in Pegasus, The Winged Horse.

2014 UZ224 nicknamed “DeeDee” for “Distant Dwarf” is 8.5 billion miles from the Sun, at magnitude +23.0 in Eridanus, The River.

120347 Salacia, and her moon Actaea glows at magnitude 20.7 in Sextans, The Sextant. Salacia is considered a “borderline” Dwarf Planet. Some astronomers saying she “most certainly is a Dwarf Planet”, while others disagreeing based on her size, saying she is too small to have compressed into a fully solid body, to have been resurfaced, or to have collapsed into “hydrostatic equilibrium”, that is to assume spherical shape like a planet.
“Dwarf Planet Candidate” 2017 OF201, magnitude 23.2 is in the constellation Triangulum, the Triangle.

Currently the most distant observable known object in the Solar System, an asteroid unofficially called Asteroid 2018 AG37, and nicknamed FarFarOut, glows at a barely detectable +25.5 magnitude in Lynx.

FarFarOut is currently 12,242,460,555 miles or in Light Time, 18 hours, 15 minutes and 20 seconds from Earth.

The most distant man-made object, Voyager 1, still operating after 48 years, 3 month and 7 days is 15,834,169,309 miles, or in Light Time, 23 hours, 36 minutes 40 Seconds from Earth as of 4:59 PM CST, December 12, 2025, sailing 38,027 miles per hour through Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer.

Near Earth Object, asteroid 99942 Apophis, is expected to pass within 19,794 miles of the Earth on Friday, April 13, 2029.

Apophis, magnitude +20.5, in Sagittarius, The Archer, is 152,738,440 miles or 1214 days from the Earth as of 2:04 PM CST, December 17, 2025.

Asteroid 2024 YR4, which will pass though the Earth – Moon system on Wednesday, December 22, 2032, dimly glows at magnitude +30.4, in Virgo, The Virgin. It currently is 373,804,770 miles or 2667 days from Earth as of 2:01 PM CST December 17, 2025.

There are 1,482,181 known asteroids and 4,047 comets as of December 12, 2025, per NASA/JPL Solar Dynamics Website.

6,061 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of December 11, 2025 per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive.

The Moon will be at Perigee or its closest approach to Earth on January 7, when she will be 223,910 miles from Earth.

Full Moon will occur January 3, at 4:04 AM CST or 10:04 UTC. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be fully illuminated.

This is also the first of three supermoons for 2026. The Moon will be near its closest approach to the Earth and may look slightly larger and brighter than usual.

January’s Full Moon is “Wolf Moon” in Native American folklore. This was also called “Wulf-Monath” or “Wolf Month” by the Saxons, because at this full Moon, packs of wolves howled in hunger outside of the villages.

It has also been called “Old Moon” and “Moon After Yule”.
During a Full Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -12.7.

The Quadrantids Meteor Shower will occur Friday & Saturday, January 3 & 4. This is an above average shower producing between 40 to 100 meteors per hour radiating from the constellation Bootes, in the area near the end of the handle of the Big Dipper and the head of Draco the Dragon.

The shower runs annually from January 1-5. It peaks this year on the night of the 3rd and morning of the 4th. Unfortunately, the full moon will obscure all but the brightest meteors this year. But if you are patient, you may still be able to catch a few of the brighter ones. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Bootes, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
This shower favors the Northern Hemisphere because its radiant point, or the point where the meteors appear to originate in the sky, is so far north on the sky’s dome.

This shower is believed to be produced by dust grains from burnt out comet 2003 EH1, which may also be the remainder of comet c/1490 Y1, which was lost to history after a prominent meteor shower was observed in 1490, possibly due to the breakup of the comet.

Last Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Eastern side illuminated, will occur January 10, at 9:49 PM CST or 03:49 UTC, January 11.

During a Quarter Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -10.0.
The Moon will be at Apogee or its farthest distance from Earth on January 13, when she will be 251,927 miles from Earth.

New Moon occurs January 18 at 1:53 PM CST or 19:53 UTC. The Moon will on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

First Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Western side illuminated, will occur January 25 at 10:48 PM CST or 04:48 UTC, January 26.

During a Quarter Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -10.0.

The Moon will be at Perigee or its closest approach to Earth on January 29, when she will be 227,346 miles from Earth.

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This month’s meeting will be on January 13 at 7 PM at the National Weather Service Forecast Office at the Shelby County Airport.

I hope to see you there!

Mark Wells
Editor / ALERT Newsletter